Just like candles, crystals and colors, incense have their
own symbolic uses as well. The right use of energy for the right
purpose is one of the things any magikal practioner has to be
aware of.

But as with all things, there is never only one table of
object to use definition. There are many. So do some research,
study the Buddhist method, the Egyptians and any other society
that pulls your interest. Make your own list or use one you've
found that rings true to you.

The following list is gathered from Tibetan and various Native
American traditions.

You may want to review the Symbology
of Herbs if you can't find what you're looking for here.

Incense

Usage

African Violet

Enhances spirituality and protection. Used to create attraction
and harmony in love and friendship.

Almond

Used for prosperity and wisdom.

Aloes wood

Used for Healing, protection and affection. It is considered
to be one of the most precious and rare incense on earth. From
the time of antiquity it has been so prized and difficult to
find, that it was often traded on an equal level of gold.

Amber Powder

Considered to be an emotion balancer. Used for healing and meditation.
It's intoxicating aroma blends well with everything. Because
of it's divine fragrance, it has been considered as a sacred
temple powder often referred to as "Nectar of the Gods"
or "Ambrosia".

Anise, Star

Used for psychic pendulums and good luck charms. It is used to
drive away negativity and to bring good luck. Long used as a
sacred Japanese temple incense for cleansing and attracting good
luck.

Apple

Enhances knowledge and wisdom. Used for love, healing, immortality
and garden magik rituals.

Balsam Fir Needles

Enhances breath work or breathing in life. Used for respiratory
work and for grounding.

Bamboo

Enhances Divination and protection. Used for luck, protection
and hex-breaking rituals. Bamboo is the stick used to hold the
herbs and resins in most stick incense. It has magikal uses of
it's own and was used for divination in Chinese Temples.

Banana

Enhances prosperity. Used for fertility, potency and prosperity
rituals.

Benzoin Gum Resin

Used for purification and prosperity. Often used as a base for
incense blends. An antiseptic used to cleanse the lungs and strengthen
the mind. Promotes knowledge, peace, and psychic protection.
Considered to be a fine "clearing" resin.

Cedar

Used for purifying, protection and to banish bad dreams. Used
by Native Americans in sweat lodges to release heavy emotional
energies. Often included with Sage in smudge sticks for clearing
and cleansing an area.

Champa

Used for clearing and protection. Used for meditation and for
creating your sacred space. It is known to bring an individuals
energies into harmonious balance.

Cherry

Enhances divination and attraction. It has long been used to
stimulate or attract intament love.

Cinnamon Powder

Enhances spiritual consciousness and protective energies. Cinnamon
has long been used for healing and money rituals. As well as,
a stimulant and aphrodisiac. It was used as a Holy anointing
oil by ancient Hebrews.

Coconut

Long been used for protection rituals, especially in chastity
spells.

Copal, Black Resin

Enhances energies of the heart. Used for healing the heart, either
physical or emotional illnesses. It has long been used as an
incense during "Day of the Dead" Celebrations.

Copal, White Resin

Enhances energies of the heart. Used primarily for emotional
matters of the heart, for love and purification. It is the cleanest
and purest of the Copals. Is has long been considered to be a
sacred "Food of the Gods".

Clove Powder

Enhances banishing rituals. Used to drive away hostile, negative
forces. It is also used to attract positive spiritual energies
and to purify a negative area.

Desert Sage

Enhances protection and purification to bring about wisdom and
health. Traditionally used to drive out bad spirits, feelings
and influences. An important Native American Plant.

Dragon's Blood Resin

Red Resin from a palm tree. It enhances rituals involving love,
protection and exorcism. Used for consecration, protection, and
good luck. It is also thought to increase the potency of other
resins.

Eucalyptus Leaf

Enhances good health and protection.Used for healing and sickness
rituals.

Frankincense Resin

Used for purification, spiritual growth, knowledge and meditation.
Long used by the Catholic church to release powerful positive
energies and to drive away evil and negativity.

Frankincense & Myrrh Resin

Enhances spirituality, healing, protection and exorcism. Used
for purification, spiritual growth, knowledge and meditation.
Two most popular blessed resins of the kings.

Gardenia

Enhances Moon energies, it is a must for Esbat rituals. Often
used for love spells and to attract good, peaceful spirits during
rituals.

Geranium Leaf, Nutmeg

Enhances prosperity and fertility. Used for luck , prosperity,
fidelity, love and fertility

Geranium, Oak Leaf

Enhances friendship. Used to maintain a friendship or make a
friendship stronger, creating a 'true' friendship.

A beautiful rose fragrance that is used for in love & healing
sachets. It promotes calm and relieves stress.

Ginger Root

Used to promote psychic growth and success.

Gum Arabic Powder

Used for psychic purification and protection. It's a sweet, light
vanilla scent which has often been used for making scents and
adhesives.

Honeysuckle

Enhances the bonds of love. Used to heal relationships, or make
a love stronger. It's honey sweet smell was used in Victorian
times to promote mental and emotional attraction. It was often
used in a small sachet worn around a woman's wrist.

Hyacinth

Enhances love, protection and happiness. Guards against nightmares.

Jasmine Flowers

Enhances relaxation and dreams. Used to create prophetic dreams
if burned in the bedroom or in a sachet pillow.

Juniper Berry Powder

Enhances healing and healing rituals. Used to guard against evil
forces and energies, hexes and sickness. It has long been used
throughout Europe in rooms of the sick.

Juniper Leaf

Enhances healing and healing rituals. Used to guard against evil
forces and hexes. It has long been used throughout Europe in
rooms of the dying.

Lavender Flowers

Enhances healing rituals for love and compassion. Used for bringing
compassion to intament relationships and to protect relationships.

Lavender

Enhances devotion and virtue. Used by Native Americans with Sage
in a smudge stick, to clear and cleanse an area for spiritual
work. Promotes communication in meditation between an individual
and the GreatSpirits.

Lemon Balm

Used for compassion and gentleness. A shared sympathy.

Lemon grass

Enhances psychic awareness. Used for psychic meditations.

Lilac

Enhances protection. Used to bring peace and harmony into an
area. Lilac has long been planted over garden gates to ensure
peace and harmony is maintained within the gates.

Lotus

Enhances good fortune and love while promoting long life. Used
for protection and as a sacred offering to the Gods. The Lotus
has been long revered in the East as a mystical symbol of life,
spirituality and the center of the universe.

Magnolia

Enhances relationship commitment. Used for fidelity and love.
Magnolia trees have long been planted around a house in the south
to promote love of the family and home.

Musk

Enhances self-confidence, determination and a strong will to
succeed. Used for sexual attraction and to promote sensuality.
Musk has long been used in mens colognes to promote attraction.

Myrrh Resin

Enhances meditation and contemplation. Used to release and banish
negativity, to promote spiritual enlightenment and progression.
It was often used in the temple of Isis.

Nag Champa Powder

Enhances energies into harmonious balance. Used to clear and
cleanse an area for ritual work. Especially good for setting
space for meditation, group rituals or gatherings.

Osha Root

Used to treat respiratory and rheumatic complaints. Long used
by Native American healers for it's powerful healing abilities.
Incredible butterscotch and celery scent promotes health.

Orange Peel

Enhances weddings and unions. Used for luck, love and money.

Orange Blossom (Neroli)

Enhances attraction and sexual magnetism. Used to attract love
and romance.

Patchouli Powder

Enhances prosperity. Used for fertility (love) or prosperity
(all areas of prosperity such as personal relationships, careers,
finances etc.).

Peppermint Leaf

Used for growth and renewal.

Pineapple

Used for luck and chastity. Pineapples have long symbolized success
in the south and were used to bring luck and money to the home
and family. Or when used as a head piece on a bed, to symbolize
luck and fertility, as well as chastity.

Pine Needles and Cones

Used for humility and protection. Often placed in the home during
the winter to promote protection and health through the cold
season.

Rose Petals

Yellow rose pedals are used for bringing success to any kind
of venture. Such as a court case, a new business plan, looking
for a job and so on.

Red rose pedals are used for matters of love and protection.

Pink rose pedals are used for matters of protection and compassion.

White rose pedals are used for protection and any general
spiritual matter. Such as communicating with spirit, working
on raising energies for meditation or bringing a greater sense
of Divinity into your spirit.

Purple rose pedals are used for matters of divination. Such
as working to identify your psychic ability, developing your
talent and learning the wisdom of divination.

Rosemary Leaf

Enhances memory. Used for love, healing and mental or remembrance
rituals. Stimulates memory and clarification. Use of Rosemary
has been documented to ancient Egyptian times.

Saffron

Used for happiness and healing sadness.

Sage

Enhances wisdom and immortality. Sage has long been sacred to
Native Americans and were incorporated in most smudge sticks.

Sage Leaf (California)

Used to purify and protect objects, places and people. Sage has
long been sacred to Native Americans and were incorporated in
most smudge sticks.

Sandal Wood Powder

Used for spiritual awareness, meditation and psychic development.
It has long been used as a base to hold incense sticks to help
add it's energies to the incense being burned.

Strawberry

Enhances tenderness, friendship and love. Strawberries have long
been associated with love and celebrations as a food. Such as
chocolate covered strawberries used as an aphrodisiac, or strawberries
and champaign as a symbol in the celebration love.

Sweet grass

Used to purify spaces and to attract positive influences.

Tea, Green

Used for healing to promote health and physical strength.

Vanilla

Enhances prosperity and dedication. Used to promote dedication
of home and hearth, and to bring about prosperity in all areas
of one's life, of the family unit and of home. Every home seems
much happier and cozy when some type of food is baking with vanilla
in it. Such as cookies or cakes.

Verbena, Lemon

Used carried for protection of love. In the Victorian era, women
would often stuff a small sachet of lemon verbena and slip it
into the coat pocket of their husband or intended.